


Fallen Rivals

by clarka



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26682367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarka/pseuds/clarka
Summary: Despite everything, Tim really tried to save Damian.
Relationships: Tim Drake & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Dick Grayson
Comments: 1
Kudos: 30





	Fallen Rivals

“Grab hold before the jaws close!” Tim shouted; hand reached out toward the brat who was currently hanging off the t-rex's head. The kid just looked at him, hatred still burning in his eyes. He didn’t accept the help, ‘ _Too damn stubborn’_ Tim thought. He wasn’t even able to start thinking up a new plan to save Damian before it was too late.

* * *

Tim had been Robin a few years and there’d been situations where he hadn’t been able to save everyone, civilians and friends alike even his own parents. He didn’t even know Damian and probably wouldn’t have liked him if he did, but he didn’t deserve to die, especially like that. Maybe if he had been an adult or not Bruce’s biological son, he might have been able to compartmentalise his demise better.

At the end of the day he had let a kid die, right in front of him. He was so close, if he hadn’t had assumed Damian would just take the help, he could have saved him by just yanking him of the edge, cut to the chase but he didn’t. He should have known he wouldn’t take his hand; Damian was probably raised to never accept help or some similar League of Assassins nonsense. Still the stupid kid should have taken the help, did he have no survival instincts?

 _‘No, thinking this way isn’t helpful, no one was to blame, especially the victum, it was an accident.’_ Tim thought, ‘ _What if it wasn’t, maybe I let him die because I was threatened like Damian said._ ’ Another part of argued. ‘ _No that’s stupid, Damian hadn’t earnt Bruce’s love and respect, I had, I’m just spiralling.’_

_‘Bruce has been avoiding me since Damian died, maybe he knows I let Damian die.’_

_‘No, I didn’t let Damian die, I tried my hardest to save him, Bruce is just trying to cope plus it’s been less than a day stop being paranoid.’_

Tim’s thoughts were getting too much he needed to get out, a quick patrol. But patrol meant being Robin and his suit was in the cave. The cave where Damian was, where poor Alfred was cleaning up the aftermath of his death, no he wouldn’t go on patrol. Anyway, does he even deserve to be Robin right now? No, he would go out as Tim Drake and he knew just who he needed to see.

* * *

The bus to Blüdhaven wasn’t as crowded as he thought it would be. Tim usually travelled as Robin, so he’d never taken that bus route before. He’d left a note in his room that he’d gone to visit Dick in case Alfred or Bruce came to check on him, unlikely, but he didn’t want to make this worse by making them worry about him.

It was still early on the evening so Dick was probably in his apartment, though once he knocked, Tim realised he should have called ahead ‘ _Idiot, you’re disturbing him, what if he has friends around ,what if_ ’- his train of thought was interrupted by the door opening. “Tim!” Dick exclaimed, eyes lighting up when he realised it was Tim.

If it were anyone else Tim would question why he still seemed happy to see him after all these years but there was always something so genuine about Dick’s smile, he just had to take it at face value. It was one of Dick’s many traits that made him gravitate towards him when he felt bad. “What’s up?” Dick asked, catching onto to Tim’s solemn mood.

“Uh, can I come in?” He didn’t really know how to summarise everything, and it wasn’t civilian business anyway, they couldn’t be overheard. “Of course, I just finished boiling some water for a coffee there’s enough for a hot cocoa too.” Dick replied welcoming him in. He ushered Tim towards his couch and then went off to the kitchen. “You don’t have to make me a hot cocoa you know.” He called out.

“I do if I want do drink my coffee, what would Alfred say if he found out if I drunk a hot drink in front of company who wasn’t? And I really need this coffee I haven’t slept in 24 hours.” Dick replied from the kitchen.

“Take a nap then.” Tim said as Dick entered back into the living area, mugs in hand.

“Coffee does the same thing.” He replied, offering out the cocoa to Tim. It was in a Robin mug. “Cute mug isn’t it? Found it in Walmart not long ago, thought it seemed appropriate.” Tim couldn’t help but have an outward reaction to the idea of Robin which stupid, thoughtful and kind Dick just had to pick up on it. “Having Robin issues?” He asked. Tim nodded.

“Is it Bruce?” Dick questioned.

“What? No, it’s just there was this… kid. And I wasn’t able to save him and it’s just super complicated.” Tim replied, the whole Damian existing thing had happened so quickly none of them had time to tell Dick about him. He wasn’t sure he felt comfortable telling Dick, it felt too personal for Bruce and considering that he was the one who…

“Complicated how?” 

* * *

Tim had laid it all on him, he wasn’t sure what reaction he would get from Dick. It would totally out of character for him to blame Tim, but he just needed to know he didn’t, that Dick still believed in him. “Want some marshmallows?” Was what he got.

“Excuse me?” Tim had expected disappointment, accusation, comforting, not that.

“Marshmallows, for your cocoa. I didn’t put in any before, very sugary and all but I think the situation calls for them, right?” Tim didn’t have an answer for that. “I’m going to take that as a yes, be right back.” Dick was gone a few seconds before emerging from the kitchen again, marshmallow bag back in hand.

“Thinking about it your cocoa is probably cold so maybe we could just eat them from the packet.” Dick said, opening the packet and then offering it to Tim “Guests first.”

“Dick, I don’t understand.”

“It’s very simple etiquette, Tim.”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

“Ok, what you just told me was some pretty heavy stuff. It’s a lot to unpack and I really have no idea where to start with comforting or helping you with your feelings especially when I can see already self-destructing. You’ve grown up a lot these past years, you already know loss and death, what can I say that haven’t told you before. You’re my brother and I love you, what happened wasn’t your fault and I will always be here for you. The marshmallow thing was just kind of to give me time to think of something better to say.”

“You thought you could distract me by just feeding me candy?”

“Uh yes?” Dick replied. Tim couldn’t help himself, he snorted. “Hey, it was either that or just hugging you for like an hour until you got the point.” Dick tried to argue.

“Thanks for trying to make me feel better.”

“No problem, and what you said about not feeling not worthy of being Robin, someone tried to kill you and in turn you tried to save their life. That’s as heroic and _Robin_ a thing a person can do.”

“Really?”

“Definitely and if something like this does happen you can take a break from Robin for your own sake. Not that I’m pressuring you to stop it’s just-“

“Don’t worry I understand what you mean.”

Dick’s phone chimed.

“One sec, Tim” He said reaching for his phone. “It’s a text from Alfred, he’s making sure you're here and safe, just texting back that you are.” His phone chimed again. “Ha, apparently Bruce went to check on you and Mr World’s Greatest Detective missed the very obvious note on you bed and spent five minutes in a full out panic about where you are before Alfred found the note for him.”

“Really?” Tim asked unconvinced, Bruce missing something that clear and caring about him that much?

“You really think Alfred would lie?”

“No! It just seems a little… implausible. He’s Batman!”

“And that makes him exempt from blinding fatherly worry because…?”

“No but I’m not-“

“Finish that sentence and I’m doing the hour-long hug idea.”

“I get it, I get but it’s different you know it’s not you who wa-“Tim was cut off by Dick making good on his threat. “Is this really going to last an hour?” He wasn’t too bothered it was nice and all but an hour?

“If it needs to be.”

“Don’t you have something better to do than hug me for an hour?”

“Of course not.” Despite the cheesiness and the fact he’d been hugged by Dick many times before he felt his eyes watering.

Tim hugged harder, “Thanks, I really mean it.”

Dick laughed “It’s just what big brothers do for their little brothers.” Tim laughed back and tried not to think about how Damian could have been their little brother.

**Author's Note:**

> So i felt bad for killing Tim off so i did a 180 of defeated rivals and Damian died instead and Tim gets more trauma. Either way Tim doesn't really win and i feel bad. Also have no idea how to write someone comforting someone so Dick's dialogue is weird to say the least


End file.
